While online has been growing as a channel in several developed markets in recent years, it’s broadening in scope, and is fast becoming a popular shopping destination for consumers around the world, particularly those looking to purchase premium products, as these platforms are able to attract shoppers and generate sales by providing exclusive product ranges and compelling deals.

Globally, 58%of global consumers feel they are better off financially than they were five years ago, but there is also a sizeable proportion of consumers who feel that they are only in survival mode, with sentiment differing considerably by region and country.

In this webinar, we explore the regions where consumers have experienced the biggest improvement in their financial situations since 2016. We also discuss consumers’ changing spending behavior on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) categories over the past five years.

As manufacturers and retailers seek to capitalize on the opportunity of e-commerce, they need to understand consumers’ online usage, behaviour and habits, as well as what’s driving e-commerce adoption.

It’s undisputed that internet accessibility, mobile technology and digital innovations are redefining consumers every interaction and will continue to enable and disrupt many aspects of consumers’ lifestyle well into the future.

Join our Nielsen Thought Leadership experts around our regions as they share global insights and regional examples as to why today's businesses need to revisit the definition of 'convenience' as more than a retail format and increasingly a consumer need.

Convenience isn’t just about store formats, products or packaging. And it means more than the latest technologies or new engagement strategies. Rather, it’s about every encounter, interaction and action that can help fulfill consumers’ growing demand for efficiency.

Shortcuts and automation are top of mind as consumer chase ways to overcome everyday obstacles to effortless living. For FMCG companies, the task at hand involves adapting and enhancing their solutions to do more than keep pace—they’ll need to stay ahead of the pace.

From a global perspective, conditions and prospects for the remainder of the year appear largely positive. In Q1, confidence grew across Western Europe, economic recovery in Latin America looks promising in key markets, FMCG sales in North America performed well, and growing disposable incomes across Asia-Pacific are having an effect beyond the immediate region.

As the e-commerce channel expands, the future success of brands will be significantly affected by how successful they are online. As increasingly time poor consumers seek convenience and on-the-go purchases, online sales of FMCG will gain more importance.

Sub-Saharan Africa has uplifted itself from the two decade economic low reached in 2016, bringing a slight easing of pressure but not a return to the robust growth rates previously experienced. In the 5th edition of Nielsen Africa Prospects ranking, we look at how the countries have performed across various parameters.

Africa’s vast potential is the stuff of investors’ dreams, but capitalizing on that opportunity is less about identifying or quantifying prospects and more about execution stemming from knowledge, insights and data to enable on-the-ground success.

2016 was a year of upheaval and change the world over, with equivalent sways experienced across Sub-Saharan Africa. In the 4th edition of Nielsen Africa Prospects ranking, we look at how the countries have performed across various parameters.

Done well, loyalty programs can help drive more frequent visits and heavier purchasing. More than seven in 10 global respondents (72%) agree that, all other factors equal, they’ll buy from a retailer with a loyalty program over one without.

Consumers around the world are increasingly focused on clean eating and the benefits of eating more healthfully, with 70% of global respondents saying they actively make dietary choices to help prevent health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.

Global consumer confidence remained stable in the first quarter and below the optimism baseline score of 100, edging up one index point to 98. The score reflected mixed confidence levels reported in every region.

Modern retail has long been guided by a powerful premise: the bigger, the better. But the retail landscape is shifting, and this mantra no longer holds true in all cases. This report explores the pain and pleasure points in global consumers' shopping experiences.

Global consumer confidence ended 2015 on a subdued note as the index declined two points from the third quarter to 97—the same score as the start of the year. Europe was the only region to show consistent confidence improvements throughout the year across all three indicators (job prospects, personal finances and intentions to buy).

Global consumer confidence increased three index points in the third quarter to 99, the highest level since 2006, and optimistic sentiment for job prospects, personal finances and spending intentions increased in nearly half of all measured markets.

Consumer confidence in the second quarter of 2015 increased eight index points in Kenya to 112 and three points in Nigeria to 132—the highest score of the three countries measured in Nielsen’s mobile consumer confidence survey in sub-Saharan Africa.

Global consumer confidence declined one index point in the second quarter to a score of 96. Regionally, confidence continued to rise in Europe, increasing two points to 79. Confidence held stead in Asia-Pacific, but fell in the three remaining regions.

Global consumer confidence declined one index point in the second quarter to a score of 96. This near-baseline score reflects an overall stable outlook, but uneven performance at the country level increased within regions.

Global consumer confidence started 2015 with an index score of 97—an increase of one point from fourth-quarter 2014 and from a year-ago. Compared to the end of last year, when all regional confidence scores declined, the first quarter was more upbeat, as confidence increased slightly or remained stable in every region except Latin America.

Spend more than a few minutes in a conversation with someone in the CPG industry and you’ll almost inevitably find yourself discussing the spiraling cost of trade promotion. In Europe, decent returns on trade promotion spend are increasingly hard to generate. So how can we turn things around?

Imagine a grocery store where you can receive personal recommendations and offers the moment you step in the store, where checkout takes seconds and you can pay for groceries without ever taking out your wallet. Sound far-fetched? It’s closer than you think.

In Africa’s complex retail environment, even companies poised with the right products can miss the mark if they don’t get them to the right place. But tailoring distribution choices—along with other factors—to specific products can help improve sales.

Africa is on companies’ growth agenda for obvious reasons. Six of the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world are in Africa, it has the world’s greatest proportion of young people, and it has a burgeoning urban population with growing demand for many goods not yet widely available, as well as the means to buy them.

Global consumer confidence ended 2014 with an index score of 96—a decline of two index points from the previous quarter, which comes after several quarters of positive momentum. The index, which has been on a slow and steady rise for about two years, is still above a pre-recession level of 94 from third-quarter 2007.

We’ve just completed a year of transformation in the retail industry, and looking at 2015, it looks like change will remain constant. But change brings opportunity, even within the familiar. Where to begin? Look to the shelf.

Perceptions about private-label brands are favorable around the world, but value shares are not correspondingly distributed; they are much higher in developed regions like Europe, North America and Australia.

Global consumer confidence edged up one index point in the third quarter to a score of 98—up from 97 in the previous quarter and up two points from the start of the year. The index, which has been on a slow and steady rise since Q1 2012, has now exceeded a pre-recession level of 94 for three consecutive quarters.

Who doesn’t love a good snack? As snack manufacturers look to tailor offerings to deliver snacks that appeal to both the palate and the psyche, knowing what drives a consumer to pick one snack rather than another is vital to stay competitive in the $374 billion worldwide snacking industry.

Across the globe, shoppers are increasingly turning to the web to buy the things they need. But some categories are benefiting more than others. The online market for consumable goods—due to their hands-on buying nature and perishability—is comparably smaller than for non-consumables—durables and entertainment-realted products. Nevertheless, the global audience is willing and eager to shop the web.

Not all consumers are created equal. In fact, some can be so meaningful from a sales and growth perspective that they’ve been upgraded to “super consumer” status by some researchers and industry observers who realize how meaningful this group can be to companies and brands.

Mobile shopping is gaining momentum among U.S. consumers, particularly as smartphone penetration continues to grow and tablet ownership gains in popularity. From researching to price comparing to making purchasing, consumers are steadily increasing their e-commerce prowess via their mobile devices.

Globally, the middle class is growing rapidly. So can you apply the same strategies to engage the global middle class? Dr. Venkatesh Bala, chief economist for The Cambridge Group, a part of Nielsen, recently discussed the effect these new technologies could have on the expanding global middle class at The Next Billion: A Forum about the Connected World presented by Quartz.

When it comes to U.S. consumer packaged goods, e-commerce is still in its infancy, accounting for roughly 4 percent of total CPG sales. But as companies work to eliminate one of the key barriers to online shopping—having to wait for your purchase—the digital channel will capture a much larger share of sales in the future.

Over the past decade, innovations have changed consumers’ behaviors and, consequently, retailers’ responses to their needs. Dr. Venkatesh Bala, chief economist for The Cambridge Group, a part of Nielsen, recently discussed the effect these new technologies could have on global consumers and commerce.

Earning consumer devotion to a brand or store takes more than just offering a good product. That’s why getting to the heart of what makes a consumer stick or switch can be the difference between flourishing and fading.